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I recently went to see a doc in my health plan and he once again made me realize that most docs are clueless. He saw my old testosterone chart and then saw how my new one was tripled. I told him about Paleo and some supplements I take from a naturopath to help my adrenals (I have anxiety). He responded that anything that works would be regulated by the FDA and therefore it is all a placebo effect (i.e all in my head). I asked him if a ketogenic diet which has been shown to "cure" seizures was regulated by the FDA and he responded that saturated fat will give you a heart attack and then proceeded to rant on about his 35 years of experience and basically how dare I, an ignorant patient question his infallible wisdom.

Sorry for the rant but really would like to find a good doc.

My goal is; To figure out why my testosterone is still low and to raise it naturally. Paleo/sleep/meditation and supplements have raised it to the low end of normal. I have low FSH and low LH which this doc blew off as nothing. Any endocrinologist or another type of doc that someone could recommend would be much appreciated. The naturopath I currently work with is open minded but really bad with details and loses track of things. Was hoping to get the best of both worlds with an open minded/cutting edge doc that still is well organized and has a methodical approach.

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might be worth seeing chris kresser.. not a "doc" per se, but actually knows what he is talking about, is cutting edge, and is in the bay area. chriskresser.com/about and check out the blog portion, to get an idea of his approach – Payam Jul 6 2011 at 22:56

5 Answers

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Have not been here but several people I know who could not get good help anywhere else have found help here and speak very highly of this Foster City practice. http://www.holtorfmed.com/

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Did you find anyone?
Peter Linfoot in Walnut Creek seems to get pretty good reviews.
http://peterlinfootmd.net/

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I know nothing about CA, but in this case I would ask the ND you like for a suggestion, he might have someone he works well with and has had good experiences with.

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If I find someone, I'll let you know!

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how old are you? what is your typical diet like... are you eating low carb?

My T was between 300-450 on low carb... on high carb it is much higher. I havent gotten tested yet but my sex drive has exploded, ease of erections, confidence, attitude... all signs of increased T. I also supplement with Iosol and Iodoral and now it a 50-60% carb diet with 15-20% protein and 25-30% fat. Lots of egg yolks, yams, liver, fish, greens, white rice, tropical fruits.

This is pretty anecdotal but you either get increased T with low carb paleo or lower T. Not sure what the mechanism is but Ray Peat says for good T, thyroid, vitamin A, and cholestoral is needed... so a higher carb diet + iodine supports more thyroid activity, liver once a week and lots of yams for vitamin A and beta carotene... egg yolks and organ meats for cholesterol. Works for me. Try to keep protein between 70-100 grams... going to overboard lowers T. I also drink tons of bone broth with extra beef gelatin powder.

Whats your body temperature like? Have you tested thyroid?

A good example of how much better my T is on high carb paleo vs low carb paleo is I can get poor sleep on high carb paleo and still have solid morning wood the next day, but on low carb paleo I will not.

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It is also important to rule out a pituatary tumor – Bill Jul 6 2011 at 21:17
Ive tested my thyroid, it's fine. If I eat higher carb my energy crashes and I want to sleep. If I dont eat high protein I very very quickly atrophy muscle and lose strength. I dont eat liver but I take grass fed liver powder twice a day. Im allergic to eggs but I eat a lot of hormone free red meat, lamb, chicken, fish, sweet potatoes, some white rice and fruit now that it's summer. I just made my first batch of bone broth and will try it again. I appreciate your advice. The funny thing is Im fine in the sex area of my life. It's just that I get tired easily and struggle to keep muscle – Geoff Jul 6 2011 at 22:35
Are you sure your thyroid is fine? My labs were perfect but I had minor symptoms that said otherwise... lowish temp, dry skin, etc. No weight gain, or anything like that. I still say low carb is not productive to testosterone. But I am otherwise healthy with no autoimmune type issues we could be coming from different places. The thing is, unless something is wrong with your testicles, as in primary hypogondism, then there is a solution beyond HRT. Secondary should be curable. – Bill Jul 7 2011 at 0:05
Also, switching from low carb to high carb has its issues. You have to get to at least 6 weeks, same as low carb. – Bill Jul 7 2011 at 0:06
Just wondering... have you ever dieted? Dieting + low carbing will lower your LH FSH.. Carb refeeding takes care of this but were not just talking 1 day here. – Bill Jul 7 2011 at 0:08
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